Method for improving functionality of the binary representation of MPEG-7 and of other XML-based contents descriptions

Abstract

A method is provided wherein two different schema branch codes are used, whereby one of the two is utilized far more frequently and, as a consequence, effects a compression. The schema branch code and position code are combined, and the bit length for the schema branch code is transmitted therewith. This results in simplifying the search function in such a manner that the first part, alone, specifies the type of the referenced element and that an improvement in the extensibility is achieved based on a schema version number to be transmitted and on firmly prescribed extension strategies that are also familiar to the decoder.

1. A method for improving functionality of a binary representation of an XML-based content description, wherein a structure of any instance of an XML document corresponds to a tree-like data structure, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing that each tree node represents an element of the content description and has a structure which is defined in a schema; 
 providing the tree nodes in the binary representation with tree branch codes; 
 providing that the respective tree branch code has a schema branch code; and 
 reading, via a decoder, past any paths with unknown elements such that the decoder restarts only when it reaches a tree node which belongs to the known schema, the reading being performed via one of (a) transmitting a number of bits forming the respective element and its sub-tree and skipping over the number of bits by the decoder, and (b) communicating a unique synchronization sequence after the respective path with a new element has been transmitted.